Rightful Throne
by holletraumes
Summary: A thread taken from tumblr written by myself and ashesofdespair. Please don't steal our writing. Because I will hunt you down if you do.
1. Chapter 1

An age had passed or so it felt to the former prodigy of the Uchiha Clan who was now lost to the outside world beyond the organization that he had become affiliated with. It had become the entirety of his world, something that he would have never foreseen in the days of his youth no matter how tarnished his perspective might have gotten due to the trauma he'd suffered. How sad it was when a life could stray so far and become so dark, so tainted…

Darkness had engulfed him, swallowing him completely all save for one tiny light of hope that he held close to his heart hidden from sight. That hope was the only thing that kept him going now when all he would have liked to do was end it all and so long as it remained then he would continue to walk amongst the damned, the forsaken and consider it another chance. But nurturing the faint light was not an easy task, nor was simply keeping it alive when so many sought to snuff it out without even knowing its continued existence in the first place. It came as a natural draw to them or so it would seem and in the midst of darkness hope shines like a beacon and he was surrounded by those that were all but consumed by it.

Not only were they consumed by it but some of them reveled in it, taking a sickening pleasure in their decaying humanity. Morality was only a pipedream here, while acts of depravity, degradation, and corruption were the norm, something which turned his stomach. He was careful to hide that too, knowing that no one must ever learn the truth about him or all would be lost and that was something that he could not risk. Too much was riding on him and even as it wore away at him piece by piece he knew that he must endure, although it would be a lie to say he was not tempted at times to allow himself to succumb to the darkness coiling within his own heart.

So far his resilience had paid off and he could only hope that it continued despite being tested on a daily basis and no one tested it quite like the man standing in the encroaching darkness watching as the sun began to dip below the horizon. He was one tainted far too deeply by life and its horrors and now he sought to spread that 'disease' to others and eventually the rest of the world if he had his way.

Itachi could understand what brought his master to this point and sympathize to some extent even if he felt that he could never go that route himself. Maybe the ancient Uchiha could see this about him too, for it seemed the man tried his best to turn him every chance he got or at least to manipulate him with enough finesse that he would play right into his hands. It was a task the prodigy would not make easy on the man though, and the battle of wills and the silent struggle they engaged in regularly was bound to eventually take its toll. The question remaining after all was said and done then being who would emerge victorious?

"What do you see when you look out there?" The younger Uchiha inquired in a soft voice that barely carried over the gentle breeze. "You often come out here to watch the sunset as if you are searching for something…or is it that you're remembering something instead?"


	2. Chapter 2

Decay. Ruin, the stench of death that seemed to follow his trail. The pitter patter of a heartbeat that seemed erratic under his fore-fingers. The heart that seemed to jump from his hands,the thumping of it that never seemed to end in his ears. The world had lacked the sense of being alive towards the Elder Uchiha. The sense of existing as something far more important than people deemed him of.

The ignorance that fell onto blind eyes and ears. The world was not as simple as it once had been with casting ideas into people. The way the world worked now, was different than how he had started his ideas. What he became was the cause of what the world had become. You try to maintain peace, and it creates war. It was like a filthy disease in a sense. It was so trivial to people to maintain the peace, and live without a burden of conflict.

Like the prodigy before him. A child of war, though he had tried to remain at peace he had become what he hated. A token, one to be used, a tool and nothing more to the village that he had been from. These were such trivial things that pertained in this day and age. The elder may have taken him in but that wasn't without the lessons that implanted the discord into the young man's heart.

The discord and paradox that had been his ideas. His ideas that had grown over the course of time and merely refined. The steps in them becoming clearer and more vibrant with each passing moon. He was merely teaching the prodigy his place in this mess, the piece of the game. He would always remain a tool to him, and nothing more and nothing less.

The younger Uchiha speaking caught his attention breaking him from his mess of thoughts only for mere moments. A fraction of a second, no trace or emotion on his face as the boy inquired his thoughts. His thoughts seeming to try to gather, not to given him an answer that said too much about oneself.

"Tell me, Do you see the 'madness' of the world? Would you rather be drenched in a wretched memory of discord and hypocrisy?"

The words of one that had seen the sides of war and pain, the suffering it caused one but also made some thrive. But also, he had lost much in the process, the memories remaining repressed and hidden under the surface only leaking out in small fragments that never seemed to end.

And yet in some form twisted the question upon the other making him think about his own faults and his bloody past. The elder was not one to share tales of his happier days or even memories that pertained to his brother. No they slipped out by chance and were a moment of weakness, it was a weakness that he couldn't afford to show around this _child._


	3. Chapter 3

Drifting on the breeze his words were carried away, cast into the infinite sky to fade away into nothing. Most people would assume that they had gone unheard or ignored, but Itachi knew better so he did not bother repeating himself. It would have been a waste of both his breath and of the other man's time and the two of them could do without that. With that in mind the prodigy patiently waited to be acknowledged, his eyes watching the light that slowly slipped away all around them.

Time slowly slipped away and Itachi briefly considered turning and leaving, figuring that Madara might be in no mood to keep company. Sometimes it happened, the man refusing to acknowledge that he was even there which he took as his own silent way of telling him to leave. He didn't mind that, the two of them sharing a sort of unspoken understanding of sorts that could never really be explained in words alone but it worked well enough for them and that was all that mattered.

_"Tell me, Do you see the 'madness' of the world? Would you rather be drenched in a wretched memory of discord and hypocrisy?"_

Turning back toward the other male the prodigy's eyes roamed over him searching for any hint as to what his thoughts might have been. It was an exercise in futility, Madara seemingly never betraying anything in his expression or body language but it had become a habit of his to study others from an early age. Every good ninja learned that necessary skill, although in his case it was of even more importance and what he also credited with his survival up until this point. It was a pity it couldn't help him more with this man.

"Yes, I would be lying if I said that I did not." Itachi did not miss how the elder Uchiha had so conveniently turned his question against him, knowing it was a common tactic of the man's. "It is a world that seeks only to break a person and to crush all that they hope and dream for…it is nothing worth preserving as it is. This world is headed for destruction and it must change or it will not survive."

To deny the world was mad would be to deny the sky was blue and it was a bitter truth that the prodigy had learned far too well in his short life. He also firmly believed that as things now stood the world would not indeed survive and would fall to chaos and ruin. It had to change or all would be lost, although he did not agree with Madara's ideas on how it should be changed but he made sure to never voice that.

"All I wish is to be freed of this cycle. Is that not also your wish Madara-sama? Or do you wish for something else?"


	4. Chapter 4

The cycle that never seemed to end, that brought blood and paradoxes to life. One that held a chill that seemed to creep though the very bones that it was brought upon. The cycle was one that was toxic and yet a given pleasure towards his bones. The cycle that had deemed useful, and was of use to him in many ways that the other didn't realize. He was merely toying with the other.

Seeing how far the will could break and be shattered. The will that was so much like fire till it was touched upon. It smoldered and hissed under the touch till there was nothing left but wisps that hovered into the stale air. His question was answered as always like a wicked game to the flesh. he could taste the bitterness in the other's voice even if he hadn't meant to place it.

Madara had broken the boy as a mere child. A child he still was to his eyes, a prodigy but none the less a child. He still had much to learn about the pieces of life that were broken. It was like a puzzle with all blank pieces that they were playing, though Madara knew the places they went. He casted a look upon the raven haired Uchiha, his eyes looking downcast as he glanced upon Itachi.

"The cycle is one that adjusts much like the cycle you have created from the hatred of your naive brother." The words were fluid like water casting upon rocks, no tone once more from him. Or there could have been a touch of amusement from him, one couldn't be positive about that. He seemed to stare among at the other for the briefest moments.

"What I want, and need are two different things, child. In which you would never understand due to the bloodstained history that clouds it." It was never a straight answer from him. Never on his life, one riddle after another, never a straight one.

"Though, my needs pertain differently from your own. You chose your wretched life, the moment you followed thier orders. You brought this wretched cycle upon you, by letting thier poisoned and tainted blood touch the things you hold deep to your heart."

Madara had no remorse for the village, not one drop. They had thrown this child into something into a world he would never understand to the fullest even if he tried, he would only have a snippet of what past met his ancestor's past. The mingled blood, even if it was would never be understood by the ones that had destroyed thier own bloodline.

Looking back upon the other, his tinted maroon eyes stared back with a rather lifeless expression, thier game of chess once again started. The patterns that they made making moves once more coming to life, and by the end the board would have a few topped pieces or all would be destroyed and then started over again as the cycle repeated itself.


	5. Chapter 5

To say he was bitter about what had become of his life would have been a gross understatement. Itachi was bitter, the difference was that he accepted it and knew that nothing more could be done about it. He'd made his decision and while it caused him much grief and sorrow he could not regret it since he felt it was the right choice as much as it might have pained him. There was no other option available to him and that was part of the unfairness of life and it would not change for him or for anyone else.

The man he stood beside now knew far too well how unfair life could be having been robbed of so much more than most people could possibly imagine. He could sympathize with him all too well, the difference being that the elder Uchiha had succumb to the darkness and the crushing weight of the world that had fallen upon him. It tried to do the same thing to him too, but the difference was as futile as it might have been Itachi was still fighting. But how much longer could he last?

Feeling the other man's eyes upon him the prodigy turned his head, catching sight of Madara's expressionless features which were obscured by a thick veil of midnight-colored hair. _"The cycle is one that adjusts much like the cycle you have created from the hatred of your naive brother." _

_Do not let him get a rise out of you. _

_Do not take the bait._

Itachi's features remained a blank, only the barely discernible thinning of his lips hinted at the fact that the man's words had struck a nerve. He knew where to attack him, where his sore spots lay and the other male made an art of exposing and picking at them, constantly seeking to reopen the wounds that he tried so hard to forget. Let him continue to do so, he would not be so easily broken even if Madara had successfully broken him to some extent when he was a child but he was a boy no more. He had grown and he had learned…and learned well.

_You must be pleased with yourself seeing what you've done, how you've turned me into a monster something so close to what you've become. You're always watching and quietly gloating to yourself thinking that you've won. I hate to disappoint you but you haven't, not yet. I'm still in this game and I will not let you win so easily._

"Let him hate, it will give him solace when nothing else can." He spoke quietly, not bothering to voice the thoughts that fluttered through his mind.

_"What I want, and need are two different things, child. In which you would never understand due to the bloodstained history that clouds it." _

Charcoal eyes returned to the setting sun watching as it continued to dip beneath the horizon, its dying light dancing on the surface of the distant sea. "This world is one born in blood and in the end it shall return from whence it came. To say I would not understand due this history is true to a certain extent since I cannot possibly know all the woes that have befallen you, but I think you would be surprised that I understand more than you give me credit for."

_"Though, my needs pertain differently from your own. You chose your wretched life, the moment you followed their orders. You brought this wretched cycle upon you, by letting their poisoned and tainted blood touch the things you hold deep to your heart."_

_So that is how it will be is it? _

_Very well then._

The prodigy knew that he had chosen his own wretched life but he had only made the best of the few options that he had available to him. What he had to endure was the result of a cycle that Madara himself had set into motion, one that had the Uchiha Clan fall into ruin and utter destruction. So for the man to cast the blame entirely on him was quite unfair, yet he expected no less from a man whose heart had been torn to pieces long ago.

"Yes, I do not deny my own failings and what has set me on this path, but to say it is entirely my own doing is hardly accurate. Rather, my greatest failing is the fact that I was born an Uchiha which is something that unfo


	6. Chapter 6

The words almost seemed to strike a nerve upon his own heart. One that had been long since forgotten. Forgotten in an age where war had been everything, and destruction and chaos had been a thing that had been the only reason to go on. But the child, the prodigy had been speaking of his history that was no just of his own.

His bloodstained history, Madara's past. The past that did used to haunt him in his dreams. The dreams that were talking of a long forgotten past, one that was drenched in war, blood and misery. Madara was of no fool of that, he did remember the past but chose to bury it in his heart. That still existed in one sense, that reminded him that the past did in fact happen.

The demons that entangled themselves in one's heart. He could see the boy struggling with the challenge of trying not to let them win. Though he paused between speaking, Madara knew there was an inner struggle even if he tried to denie it. The demons had won Madara's heart, the darkness that was in the man was one that had seen the end of the fight long ago.

"Cursed clan?" There was a bitter laugh that almost escaped his lips. "Always has it been the curse of our blood has it not? Understand, you may but only a fraction." His voice almost seemed to have a breaking point all on it's own, perhaps one that lacked the sanity. Yet at the same time he was sane.

"You were a child of war, and yet, the understanding of war and chaos is far different than my own. It's a vicious cycle, one born out of love. The idle protection of it, the need to care, creates a spark of war. That hatred, it's the flames of being unable to protect the thing that your heart holds dear."

Madara paused his feet moving forward in a quick movement towards the other. No sound made, as his fingers touched upon the prodigy's shoulders. Mostly to get a feel of of the other's emotions, and an insight to his thoughts. This wasn't the first time he had touched the boy. There was nothing that was of importance when he did. He had been doing it since he had been brought here.

"I'd watch your tongue, if I were you. You are trending on water."

It was rare. The display of any emotions from Madara. Rare, but they leaked out. Itachi had been taught some of the history, but was naive on certain parts of it. His fingers seemed to touch the side of the child's neck, almost a light pressure as a warning. It had been a long while since the boy had gotten under a crack in Madara's skin.

The crack that had been left by his brother. The one that had played a role just as much as he had in the war. One that had cursed thier blood perhaps, one that maybe even damned it but Madara wasn't going to let the boy in and see more of his weakness. Never. He would only get so far under the skin, before Madara resorted to violence.


	7. Chapter 7

Behind every man lay the potential for good or evil, the main mistake that people made though was thinking that there was no in between. Few were capable of seeing the shades of grey between the black and white definitions, a definite fault because people were not so simple. In these shades of grey was where he now found himself, his path treading ever closer to that darker and more twisted avenue with each day that passed. The very same path that Madara himself had gone down an age ago.

How long could he weave between the lines before he stumbled and fell? It was a mystery to him and he could only guess as to when that time would come and pray that it never did. Thinking over it made him wonder how hard Madara had fought against his inner demons before being swallowed up by them. Had he struggled valiantly for many years or had he given in the moment they first reared their heads? He had no way of knowing and he dared not to ask knowing that he would likely not gain a response and perhaps a dark look or strike for his boldness.

_"Cursed clan?" There was a bitter laugh that almost escaped his lips. "Always has it been the curse of our blood has it not? Understand, you may but only a fraction." His voice almost seemed to have a breaking point all on its own, perhaps one that lacked the sanity. Yet at the same time he was sane. _

"Perhaps it is simply our fate from the very beginning." The sound of the other man's laughter sent a chill down his spine, it reminiscent of the madness that lurked just beneath the surface. "It seems hardly fair for all of us to pay the price for the wrongdoings of our ancestors, but life is hardly fair. And I do not claim to understand it all, just that I might know more than you give me credit for Madara-sama." The break in his master's voice only further put him on edge knowing how close the other man was to indulging in the freedom that was provided by insanity.

Had he unwittingly touched a nerve as well?

_"You were a child of war, and yet, the understanding of war and chaos is far different than my own. It's a vicious cycle, one born out of love. The idle protection of it, the need to care, creates a spark of war. That hatred, it's the flames of being unable to protect the thing that your heart holds dear."_

Truth rang in the elder Uchiha's words as much as he hated to admit it. So long as love existed there would always be hate. It was a delicate balance and one could not seem to survive without the other and it had been his goal to try and find some way to break that vicious cycle, but so far he had found no way. That outcome had him question if it were possible, which was something he had to keep telling himself that it was or else he would be lost.

Itachi could not allow himself to fall, at least not completely. Already he was tainted, his childhood and innocent view of the world ripped apart before his eyes at an age most people could not fathom, but still he tried to put faith in people. It was a very hard thing too when it would be such a relief to give in and have all of his struggles, all of his woes fall away.

"You never forget the pain of losing it either." The prodigy had lost so much and the damage done to his heart was irreversible. Each beat was painful, each breath agony of the kind that had nothing to do with the physical but the emotional and psychological damage that had already left him a shell of his former self.

How much more could he lose before he could not even recognize himself?

The younger Uchiha's entire body stiffened a fraction at the other man's touch, his hands placed upon his shoulders without a bit of hesitation. There was no reason for him to, Madara having done this ever since he'd taken him in and Itachi couldn't help but see it as a show of power, intimidation, and perhaps possession over him. It was a strange and twisted relationship that they shared, one that bordered on respect, fascination, and disgust and Itachi would never be able to sum it up in simple words even if he tried.

_"I'd watch your tongue, if I were you. You are trending on water."_

As the gentle pressure of the other man's fingers was applied to his neck the prodigy knew to be careful. Madara had just given him a silent warning with that touch, a warning that stated: 'Go too far and I will not hesitate to break you'. He would be a fool to ignore it and yet he did nothing to pull away from the touch, to escape the potential threat because he knew it was all but useless doing so. No matter what happened he stood little chance of surviving if the other Uchiha was intent on killing him and they both knew it.

"Forgive me Madara-sama, I shall be more mindful of my words." Itachi then did what many people would probably have thought madness in his position, but you had to be a little mad after living the way he did and he leaned his head back into the touch. It was his own silent way of saying he understood the elder male's power and that he would provide no resistance. But deep down it was also a small form of defiance, showing that he was not afraid of it either. "I suppose I was swept up in my own thoughts was all."


	8. Chapter 8

The nerve had snapped. It had snapped, and he could hear the heartbeat for a fraction of the moment. It had been released, the crack that he had tried to keep hidden, it had snapped and become larger. The words of the prodigy had hit a chord in him, one that was long buried. The pain that he had felt of losing someone he had _cared_ about. It perhaps could have rivaled, what Itachi had for Sasuke.

His fingers leaving another imprint of pressure. The skin would bruise if he had tried, if he wanted it to. Despite the other being somewhat decent of health, this was merely one of his better days. The pressure was giving his mind a scapegoat from the words that of course imprinted into his mind, and made the crack become a fissure at least to him.

He was digging his hole more and more with his words. Cracks were forming on what was left of Madara, what he had pieced together for the longest while. The fractions and segments he had kept together were breaking, it had been awhile since the prodigy had gotten the better of him.

"Sometimes…" He paused, the hysterical edge to his voice coming back again. "I wonder if I had been better off slaughtering your pathetic excuse of a sibling in front of you. It makes me wonder how quick you would have cracked or _broken_ to my _will_ if I _did._" His words were laced with a type of malice that was to the very heart of him.

His other hand slipped to the skinny bone of the Uchiha's hip bone, digging his nail into the flesh. The searing smoldering anger, for showing weakness showing now in his flawed heart. The rage that leaked out in pools it seemed. The apology seeming to be forgotten because the cracks had become to much for himself to handle the memory of his own brother sinking into his mind.

"You never lost him. You may have made him hate you, loathe you and even detest you. But you and I both know, beneath that your brother, still in his heart cares. That you couldn't twist him to your fullest because the second, he learns the truth of what really happened that night, he'll become the one thing you _hated._" The words a rage-driven and almost hateful.

Digging into his flesh, and leaving marks, marks that have imprinted the boy since he was a child. Leaving the crescent shaped marks on the bare skin of his hip, tightening the hand around his neck, choking him for brief moments, and then digging that hand across his neck drawing reddened lines from his nails.


	9. Chapter 9

An undeniable pressure was applied to his neck and the prodigy's eyes widened a fraction. He was used to Madara's cruelties, used to his games and tortures and yet he found something very off about his behavior now. It would appear that he had struck a nerve as unintentional as it had been and at that moment he did not know if it were a good or a bad thing. It was probably bad.

The smallest of flinches was given as the pressure increased and Itachi knew that his skin would likely bruise if the elder Uchiha kept things up. At the rate they were going he would be lucky to escape only with a bruised neck.

_"Sometimes…" He paused, the hysterical edge to his voice coming back again. "I wonder if I had been better off slaughtering your pathetic excuse of a sibling in front of you. It makes me wonder how quick you would have cracked or broken to my will if I did." His words were laced with a type of malice that was to the very heart of him._

His heart paused in his chest for a moment, fluttering softly as the blood pumped through his veins just beneath Madara's fingers. Those words were without a doubt meant to hurt, meant to pour salt into the wound and pull apart the stitches holding his mangled heart together. The man knew where to hit him where it hurt most and he silently cursed him for it, the prodigy closing his eyes briefly and taking in several slow and calming breaths. It would not do to lose his composure now, not in a position like this when he would so easily lose everything that he'd worked so hard for.

Viciously the nails of the elder male sunk into the flesh of his hipbone, the action causing a soft hiss to leave his lips. Itachi was no stranger to pain but he could tell by the tone of Madara's voice and the roughness of his actions that he was starting to spiral down into those dark depths that he'd always teetered upon. If he lost control completely it would spell his end and even if he was certain he could put up some form of resistance he knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was crushed.

_"You never lost him. You may have made him hate you, loathe you and even detest you. But you and I both know, beneath that your brother, still in his heart cares. That you couldn't twist him to your fullest because the second, he learns the truth of what really happened that night, he'll become the one thing you hated." The words a rage-driven and almost hateful._

"I.." he struggled for breath as the fingers about his throat began to choke him, leaving him coughing and squirming although he dared not lift his hands to stop it. Doing so would only provoke the man further and that was the last thing he wanted. "I would not hate him if he went down that dark path just as I do not hate you even after everything that you've done."

He gasped out the words as he felt Madara's nails scratch along his neck, etching angry red lines in their wake. All the while he continued hoping that his words would reach his master's ears and somehow touch upon the humanity that he felt was buried deep down somewhere inside of him. The thought was laughable, but as with so many other things in life he had to believe that in the heart of every man, even the most vile, that good still lay beneath the murky surface.

"Hating is pointless when all it does is cause you more pain than the object of your despise. And do you not bear enough pain?"


	10. Chapter 10

The words fell onto empty ears. The tongue, and words falling deaf to his ears. The ears that should have been listening but they weren't. Blood ran hot under his skin, the rage, provoking his actions, ones that shouldn't be permitted. But they were. Red lines upon white skin like snow. The mere pleasure the act of bringing this man to his knees, in a mental sense not just a physical sense to him.

He was too far gone. His darkness has tangled him once more. "Pain is what keeps you able to live, even if it drives you into _madness._" The words slipped out of his mouth with a type of taint that couldn't be placed even if someone had tried to place it. Even if someone had tried to, they would fail.

"I have told you once before, forget that petty village. They are not of your concern nor is my stained past." Madara's words were beyond bitter with the taint of an emotion that could have also been mistaken for concern. Concern that had been buried long ago. Long ago along with his heart when his brother had given him his eyes.

Teeth, sharp, bite though skin of the neck, before the other had the chance to react or even attempt to stop the movement. These advances were unexpected, and often only seemed to happen when the other had gained the upper hand. This was a lesson being learned, not to inquire about his past. The past he wanted to bury.

Iron, scarlet, cinnabar. The color that drenched the skin as he bit open the flesh. His hand resting on his shoulder, the other still leaving marks in his hip. The taste of blood on his lips. The weight that was familiar, and one that was forgiving. The flash of red that tinted his eyes staring back at the other now. The monster having come alive.

"It would be wise to hold your tongue on these matters. _Child. _This is no longer just a game."

Madara knew all too well that the other knew what he meant. He intended to break him by whatever means necessary, even if the other fought back now. The elder Uchiha was too far gone by now, the darkness once again having consumed what was left of his heart.

Digging into his flesh, and leaving marks, marks that have imprinted the boy since he was a child. Leaving the crescent shaped marks on the bare skin of his hip, tightening the hand around his neck, choking him for brief moments, and then digging that hand across his neck drawing reddened lines from his nails.


	11. Chapter 11

To hate would have been easy, so terribly easy and the temptation was always there beckoning to him and offering a form of relief he could not find in life at this time. He couldn't bring himself to though, and sometimes he wondered if it were yet another fault of his gentle heart one that he was certain was broken almost beyond repair by now. Sometimes he cursed it for the pain it brought him, its mere existence bringing him suffering and leaving him divided to the point he felt like two separate people lived inside him. So far he had managed to keep it together, but that could change at any given time, change just as it did for the man that now held him in his iron-clad grip.

_"Pain is what keeps you able to live, even if it drives you into madness."_

May the gods take him before he knew the darkness that consumed Madara. Hearing the venom practically dripping from the man's voice and feeling the darkening of his chakra made his skin crawl and he did his best to keep his breathing calm and steady along with his heart. It was no easy feat, not when he felt the other man's hot breath rolling over his skin as he spewed forth his hate-filled words.

_"I have told you once before, forget that petty village. They are not of your concern nor is my stained past."_

Those words were the only warning that he received before a blinding pain filled him and his entire body went rigid, his breath hitching in his throat. A choked cry of pain came in automatic response as he felt the elder male's teeth sink into the tender flesh of his neck, breaking through his skin and drawing blood. His hands automatically raised the fingers of one curling around the wrist of the hand placed upon his shoulder, while the other clenched tightly forcing his nails to bite into the skin of his own palm.

Kami was the man strong.

As the pain ripped through his body his eyes shifted of their own accord to their sharingan state, a natural response to the attack. Teeth clenching together tightly he managed to stifle any further cries, his muscles tensing as he felt Madara continue to mercilessly tear into his flesh. He was just like a mad beast and for a time he forgot that any form of decency or humanity might have lurked within his heart, questioning if this one was simply too far gone. There had to be some limit.

_"It would be wise to hold your tongue on these matters. Child. This is no longer just a game."_

Released from the agonizing bite the prodigy managed to pull away slightly, his eyes briefly meeting that of the other man and all he saw reflected in them was darkness. With that darkness only pain and suffering awaited he knew and he did not know if he could bring Madara back from it although he would try. All he could really do now was try and if that failed he would just have to prepare himself for whatever new torture awaited him.

"Forgive me Madara-sama, I was foolish." He bowed his head, offering no resistance in the hopes that the man would see that there was no fun in attacking someone that did not fight back. "You are right. I shall be wiser in the future, this I promise you."


	12. Chapter 12

The utter art of submission, one that was something different. That held a place when the other did it. Yet it didn't matter not, this time around. The words had been spoken, and the pain that was withheld in his heart, was greater than he was accustomed to. The child had been unknowing of the pain he caused, but at the same time he had a sense of knowing.

Yet he didn't accept it. The bowing of the head. He refused for some reason. The dark purpose seeming to reek on his flesh and heart. Madara was not one to give in, even in this state. Despite the child trying to please him. Make him try to come back to his senses, no that wouldn't just happen.

The teeth across skin, and the sharp pain that followed consumed once more. Laying patterns of teeth and skin across the skin of his already reddened neck, leaving the flesh bruised and alive with the deep red color. The color of the crimson liquid that was sliding across it from the teeth marks that had sank into the skin. Ripping the flesh apart, like thin paper.

"You were foolish, and you _shall_ learn."

The words escaped his throat as he pulled away from the bite for seconds, but was followed by an even rougher one on already broken skin. The taste of copper heavy in his mouth, the taste of blood. One that he knew, one that , meant the other was losing.

"Have you given in to the _shadows _of your _heart _already?

He puled away from the skin, eyes a scarlet color staring back at him, his hand that had been on his hip moving to dig at the skin under his shirt sliding, and making red lines, that weren't breaking the skin but were causing him did all of this for a reason, there was a blurred line between the pain and the pleasure. And the pleasure blurred in once one of them gave in. It was an act like almost drawing a month to a flame.

Digging into his flesh, and leaving marks, marks that have imprinted the boy since he was a child. Leaving the crescent shaped marks on the bare skin of his hip, tightening the hand around his neck, choking him for brief moments, and then digging that hand across his neck drawing reddened lines from his nails.


	13. Chapter 13

Pain was something that Itachi had grown accustomed to over the course of his short and violent life, the prodigy coming to expect it as the only constant. Everything else was lost to him or cruelly taken by others without the slightest hint of hesitation. Why should they or anyone else care? It was a cycle that had begun from a time beyond memory and that would continue long after he was dead and gone, one compose of those who used others and those that were used.

He was a fool to think he could break the cycle on his own and while he never expected to he still had hoped to see some change in his lifetime. Reality was far more cruel though, this encounter yet another reminder of it and the fact that all he could expect in this life was pain. It was something that his master was all too glad to bestow onto him too, the man beyond the point of return and no longer capable of being appeased by his show of submission.

Again the man closed the distance between them and sank his teeth into the damaged flesh, the prodigy gritting his own teeth at the renewed assault. His entire body screamed at him to resist, to fight back in some way but his mind knew better. The moment that he actually fought the worse it would be for him and if he thought he was in pain now he would be in for far worse later on. So all he could do for the time being was endure and hope that Madara eventually grew bored with him and left him alone to pick up the pieces all over again.

_"You were foolish, and you shall learn."_

Itachi would certainly learn, he was not called a prodigy for nothing and pain made for an excellent teacher. The main issue at hand was that he had no idea what he said in particular that had struck the man so, setting him off like a time bomb that he now had no control over. Whatever it was the younger Uchiha vowed never to touch upon any of the subjects they spoke of today ever again as he bit back yet another pained sound and squeezed shut his eyes. Try as he might though he could not help the tension that filled his body, winding it up as if it were ready to snap.

Hot blood spilled down the prodigy's neck, the coppery scent filling the air and turning his stomach. Oh how he hated the smell of blood, flashes of old memories filling his mind of that old battlefield from long ago that had so scarred him.

_"Have you given in to the shadows of your heart already?"_

Dropping his head the prodigy took in a shuddering breath, trying to push back the pain that continued to wrack his body. However, this breath came out in yet another sharp hiss as he felt the other man's hand leave his hip only to push up under his shirt and rake his nails down his pallid skin. The action had Itachi sink his teeth into his own lip, trying to keep still and not give Madara further reason to pursue his destructive tendencies. Maybe it was a futile task, but all he could do was hope for the best as his own crimson eyes opened and met those of the elder Uchiha.

"F-forgive me," the words came out barely above a whisper, blood trickling from his lips now from where he'd bitten through the flesh. "It will never happen again, I promise you that. I have learned and I have learned well Madara-sama."


End file.
